


now i see a family where there once was none

by wishingonlightning



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, SO MUCH FLUFF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-01 08:29:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15770373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wishingonlightning/pseuds/wishingonlightning
Summary: The Queen surprises everyone by showing up at Regina's coronation, but no one is more surprised than the Queen herself when she discovers a little girl with strikingly familiar features.Set during Regina's coronation in 7.22





	now i see a family where there once was none

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [[Fanart] My Little Princess](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15814848) by [regalducky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/regalducky/pseuds/regalducky). 



> Inspired by RegalDucky's gorgeous artwork My Little Princess. I loved your idea of the Queen getting to meet Hope, so I hope you like what I came up with!
> 
> Shout out to my super awesome cheerleader/beta, alternate8reality, for not hating me too much when I decided to do a third fic! You're the best!
> 
> Thank you to the Supernova mods for all their time and dedication to organizing all of this!
> 
> Title from Kenny Loggins' Danny's Song

“Sorry I’m late,” she says, thrusting open the thick wooden doors to the great hall. The guests that still remain after the coronation ceremony skitter away from the Queen as she saunters into the room.

 

“Was that really necessary?” Regina asks with a roll of her eyes, walking towards her other half.

 

The queen shrugs. “Well, this day can’t be all about  _ you _ . If it’s your day then it’s my day too, isn’t it, dear?”

 

Emma snorts where she comes to stand at Regina’s side. “Are all versions of you this self absorbed?” Emma teases, and dodges Regina’s hand as it moves to shove at her shoulder. Emma takes ahold of Regina’s hand instead, tangling their fingers together.

 

The Queen’s eyes follow their hands, but before she can say anything Henry walks over from where he stood talking with his grandparents.

 

“Mom.” All three woman turn to look at Henry as he calls out to them. He’s older now, but still undeniably Henry.

 

A snort from the Queen’s left draws her attention to a teenager who looks just like Henry as she remembers him.

 

“It’s even funnier when there are three of you to respond at once,” the teenage version of Henry says.

 

Emma rolls her eyes. “Don’t you have something better to do, Kid?”she says reaching out to ruffle his hair; he jumps out of her reach.

 

“I’ll have to think of something different to call you. To eliminate confusion,” he says with a mischievous grin. “How about Gina?”

 

“Absolutely not,” the Queen and Regina say at the sametime. His grin continues to grow. Henry frowns at his younger brother, but there’s a mischief behind his eyes that betrays him.

 

The Queen’s eye drift back and forth to the two versions of her sons. “How?” she asks, her dark eyes wide with wonder.

 

“You,” the younger Henry responds. “Right? She’s the one that created my realm, isn’t she?” He turns to look at Emma and Regina.

 

“Yes, she is. The wish realm that you sent Emma to,” Regina adds at the Queen’s confusion. “This is the Henry that existed in that realm.”

 

“And now I exist in yours. Good job, Reggie. I guess I have you to thank for my existence?” He’s still teasing, but there’s a vulnerability behind his words that tugs at the Queen’s heartstrings.

 

“I guess some good came out of that magic lamps after all,” the Queen says softly, looking at the younger Henry in awe. “And you?” She turns toward the older Henry.

 

“The one you adopted in Boston all those years ago,” Henry says with a smile. The smile the Queen gives him in return is blinding. 

 

She turns her smile to the younger of her sons. “Henry.”

 

He shakes his head. “Ry,” he corrects. “It gets too confusing when everyone is calling us both Henry.”

 

“Ry,” she repeats. “I like that.”

 

“And I’m really feeling Reggie,” Ry says. Henry shoves at his head.

 

A soft whine draws her attention away from her sons and down to the small baby wrapped tightly in Henry’s arms. “I’m a grandmother?” Her eyes dart between her son and the baby that he holds, dressed in a sparkly gold, tulle dress.

 

“Oh, yeah, Lucy is right over there,” Henry says looking over his shoulder. When Henry turns around he sees the Queen’s eyes focused on the child in his arms. “Oh. You mean Hope? She’s not…”

 

Ry snickers as Emma and Regina briefly look at one another, their cheeks darkening. The Queen looks from one face to the next. “Please do tell me what I’m missing.”

 

“Hope is my...sister,” Henry says after a moment. 

 

The Queen’s eyes flash to Emma, her distaste clear. “Don’t tell me you’re still with the pirate?”

 

Ry barks out a laugh. “Oh man.”

 

“Marrying him was one thing, but then you had to go and birth his spawn. I’ve known that you were capable of many things, Miss Swan, but I didn’t realize that you do something as disturbingly moronic as…”

 

“And I thought Mom was bad,” Ry says, drawing her from her rant; Henry laughs, unable to hide his amusement. The Queen realizes that she had stepped in front of Emma without realizing she had moved, and takes a deep breath and a step back. “But Reina, you’re something else. You were about to go all Evil Queen because you thought-”

 

“Go away, Kid,” Emma says pushing at his head. Ry takes off, still laughing as makes his way to the other side of the hall. Emma looks back up at the Queen. “She’s not Hook’s.” The Queen tries to hide her relief, but fools no one when the tension that had built up over the last couple of minutes seeps from her, relaxing her entire body at Emma’s admission. “Hook and I are no longer together. That was a...lapse in judgement.”

 

“To say the least,” Regina says, biting her bottom lip to keep in her laughter.

 

“Then who?” the Queen asks.

 

“It’s probably time to be getting Lucy home to bed,” Henry says, slipping the baby into Regina’s arms. He presses a kiss to Emma and Regina’s foreheads and turns to face the Queen. He wraps his arms around her and the Queen sinks into his hold. “It’s good to see you, Mom. Maybe stick around for a while? I know Lucy would love to meet you.”

 

Henry pulls back and the Queen gives him a shaky smile, her eyes watery. “I’d love that.”

 

“Good.” Henry presses a kiss to her forehead as well, before walking off toward his daughter and wife.

 

The Queen’s gaze falls back to the baby in Regina’s arms, and back up to Emma and Regina in question.

 

“She doesn’t have one,” Emma blurts, looking mildly ashamed at Regina’s glare.

 

“She doesn’t have what?” 

 

“A father,” Regina says. “She doesn’t have a father.”

 

The  _ she _ in question shifts in Regina’s arms, her legs stretching out and her eyes open. The Queen’s breath catches in her throat. “I thought you said she was Emma’s daughter,” the Queen says, not looking up from wide brown eyes that are so similar to her own.

 

“She is my daughter. I carried her and I gave birth to her,” Emma says, and now the Queen’s eyes do snap up to look at the two women.

 

“Then how does she look just like you?” the Queen asks Regina. “How does she look just like  _ me _ ?”

 

“Maybe we should go home for this conversation,” Emma says, shuffling her feet.

 

“Yes, that might be a good idea,” Regina agrees.

 

The Queen can do nothing more than nod, gaze glued to the little girl that has suddenly caused her entire world to tilt on its side.

 

. . .

 

“How is this possible?” the Queen asks, falling back into a chair, once Ry has made his way upstairs. Emma takes a seat on the couch across from her, Hope in her lap, and Regina sits down beside her.

 

“We’re still not entirely sure,” Regina begins and looks to Emma.

 

Emma meets her eyes, a soft smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, and she runs her fingers through their daughter’s already thick, dark hair.

 

“I didn’t know until she was born, but the timing with Hook never made sense. But then she was here and I saw her and there was never really any doubt that she was Regina’s. That she’s yours,” Emma says, finally looking away from Regina and to the Queen as she finishes.

 

“I didn’t know it could happen,” Regina meets the Queen’s eyes, “so I left. I couldn’t bare staying here while she was pregnant with the pirate’s child when all I wanted was for…” She looks down at her daughter, letting Hope wrap her small hand around Regina’s finger, babbling happily. “But then I came back and the pirate was nowhere to be seen, but Emma was here and so was Hope.”

 

“You were so scared of her at first,” Emma says with a laugh.

 

Regina’s eyes flash, indignant. “I wasn’t scared of her. I just didn’t think I could bare seeing your child look just like Hook, and remind me that you had a family I could never be a part of.”

 

“You should have seen her face when she finally saw Hope,” Emma says with a chuckle, her grin wide. “Somehow, she managed to look even more surprised than you did.”

 

“But how? Something must have happened,” the Queen says, still trying to wrap her mind around this entire situation.

 

“ _ Something _ definitely happened,” Emma says with a smirk, waggling her eyebrows exaggeratedly. 

 

Regina smacks her arm; Emma looks affronted. “Baby,” she snaps, with no real venom, pointing down to Hope.

 

Regina rolls her eyes. “Don’t be lude, dear,” Regina says, smiling down at Hope who smiles back up at her in a way that is a complete mirror of Emma.

 

“There was one night that shouldn’t have happened under the circumstances that it did, although I could never regret it, even before knowing that Hope was mine,” Regina says, finally answering the Queen’s question.

 

Emma reaches for her hand and Regina entwines their fingers together, and they look at each other with so much love pouring out of the both of them that Hope’s existence becomes all too clear to the Queen.

 

She watches them with a longing that pulls tightly in her chest and grows all the more intense as she looks down at a child that looks like Emma, yes, but even more so like herself. Her dark hair, her eyes the exact shape and color as her own, even her sun-kissed skin tone is just like her own.

 

Hope watches the Queen study her with eyes that are much too wise for her six month old self. After a moment Hope flings her arms outward toward the Queen with enough momentum that she nearly throws herself from Emma’s lap.

 

“Woah, kiddo,” Emma says, pulling her eyes away from Regina and down to her daughter, and wrapping her arm tightly around Hope to keep her in place.

 

Hope begins to whine, tears filling her eyes as she shakes her arms out at the Queen. Emma looks up from her daughter and across to the Queen. “Do you want to?” Emma questions as her daughter’s whines turn into cries the longer Emma keeps her away from her other mother.

 

The Queen hesitates only for a moment before the longing within her becomes too much to tamp down. “Yes,” she breathes, unable to tear her eyes away from her daughter’s own tear filled ones.

 

The moment Hope is pressed into her arms the Queen feels a hole she didn’t even know existed slowly being filled with everything that is Hope.

 

Hope’s cries quiet into soft snuffles as the Queen’s arms tighten around her small body, holding her snuggly against her chest.

 

“Shhh, little one,” the Queen soothes, bouncing Hope in her arms. She can’t fight back a smile as Hope quiets, staring up at her with wide eyes. 

 

Hope reaches a small hand up and fists it tightly in the Queen’s long hair. “Mama,” Hope says, a smile breaking out over her face. “Mama.”

 

Regina gasps, her hand holding Emma’s so tight that her knuckles turn white. “Did she just?”

 

Emma nods, holding onto Regina just as tightly. “She did.”

 

“What?” the Queen asks, looking up at the couple before her. 

 

“Her first word,” Regina says looking at her daughter affectionately.

 

“And to you, who she’s known for an hour,” Emma teases.

 

Hope tugs at the Queen’s hair. “Mama,” she says, already managing to lace the word with annoyance as the Queen pays attention to Hope’s other mothers instead of herself.

 

“I’m sorry, little one,” the Queen says, giving the baby her undivided attention, running her fingers gently across Hope’s forehead. Hope coos in her arms.

 

“This was really her first word?” the Queen asks, glancing up at Emma and Regina before back down to Hope.

 

“Yes,” Regina tells her, a warmth settling in her chest as she watches her other half holding their daughter. The Queen’s eyes well up with tears as she realizes that it was  _ her _ that Hope spoke her very first word to -- and  _ mama, _ no less.

 

“You may not have known her long, but she loves you already,” Emma says at the same time that Hope lets out a loud squeal of a giggle, as if to prove her point. 

 

“Well I look just like Regina,” the Queen says without looking up, smiling even as Hope yanks on her hair a little too hard.

 

“It’s more than that,” Emma says with a shake of her head. “She’s very particular with who holds her. She could be sleeping and you pass her to the wrong person and she’ll wake up screaming. She doesn’t know who’s holding her, but she  _ knows _ , you know?”

 

“She knows you’re not me, yet she cried until you were holding her. We think it might be something to do with her magic, the way she is able to sense things on a different level than anyone else I have ever met,” Regina says.

 

The Queen adjusts Hope so she’s sitting up on her lap. “She has magic?” she asks in awe, looking up at Regina.

 

“Of course she does. Do you really think a daughter of ours -- of ours  _ and _ Emma’s -- wouldn’t have magic? She should be possible, she  _ is _ magic,” Regina says.

 

“She’s incredible,” the Queen says, her eyes filled with so much wonder.

 

“Mama,” Hope says suddenly, lunging towards Regina. The Queen tightens her grip around Hope’s waist and passes her over.

 

“Hello, baby girl,” Regina says, holding Hope in front of her.

 

“Mama,” Hope says with a lopsided grin. “Mama, mama.”

 

Regina lets out a wet sounding laugh. “I am never going to tire of hearing that,” she says and hugs Hope tightly to her.

 

“Me neither, but kid sure is making me feel left out,” Emma jokes.

 

“Do you hear that, Hope? You’re mama feels left out,” Regina says into Hope’s hair, before pulling back and turning Hope to face Emma. “What do you have to say?”

 

Hope stares at Emma for a moment in concentration before her face lights up with a big grin, and she turns to look at the Queen. “Mama.”

 

“Really, Kid?” Emma says, snatching Hope out of Regina’s arms. “I’m your mama, too.” Hope looks at her stubbornly, not saying a word.

 

“Yes, she is most definitely your daughter, she’s proving that right now,” Regina says, bumping Emma’s shoulder with her own. 

 

Emma glares at Regina over their daughter’s head. A moment later her face twists in pure disgust. “Kid, really?” Emma asks as the room is filled with a very foul smell somehow coming from one very small body. “You had to wait until you got to me to do that?”

 

Hope giggles in response. “Mama.”

 

Emma’s face lights up. “Yes, I am,” she sing songs. “And I’m not even upset that I have to change your stinky diaper now. No, I’m not.” Emma stands, the baby talk continuing even as she leaves the room and heads up stairs.

 

After a moment, the Queen lets out a long breath. “Wow.”

 

Regina watches her with sparkling eyes. “I know,” she agrees. “We would have told you about her, there’s just been so much going on and we didn’t know where you were; I only found out about her not long ago.”

 

“It’s okay,” the Queen says, her voice thick with emotion. She’s silent for a moment, lost in thought before, “I had no idea she existed until today, and I already love her so much that…”

 

“I know,” Regina says again, reaching a hand forward to rest on the Queen’s knee. “She has that effect on people.”

 

“I didn’t know, but now that I do how am I supposed to go back to my life? How do I…”

 

Regina gets up and walks around the coffee table to take the chair right next to the Queen’s. “If you want a place in her life we would never deny you that. You remember what it was like when Emma first came to town? All that fighting? Neither of us wants to endure that again.”

 

“I remember,” the Queen says with a laugh, before turning serious. “I would never try to take her away from either one of you.”

 

“I never thought that you would,” Regina reassures her. “You just need to be certain that if you want a place in her life that you are here to stay. I don’t mean Storybrooke necessarily, but you need to be a consistent part of her life.

 

“The way she was with you, she’s not often like that with others, especially not someone she’s just met. She’s growing attached already,” Regina says, and the Queen feels all of Regina’s worry and protection mirrored within herself.

 

“She’s not the only one who’s grown attached. I want to be here,” the Queen says without hesitation, without second thought. “Other than Henry, I don’t know that I’ve ever wanted anything more.”

 

“Good,” Regina says, just as Emma walks back into the room with a freshly changed Hope, now dressed in a light purple sleeper with crowns scattered across it, on her hip.

 

“Guess who doesn’t stink anymore,” Emma says, bouncing Hope playfully. Hope giggles loudly in response and babbles happily.

 

Regina steps forward, sniffing exaggeratedly and making Hope laugh. “Hope doesn’t stink anymore,” Regina sing songs. 

 

“All this baby talk is appalling,” the Queen says.

 

“You love it,” Emma says with a grin, and the Queen shrugs.

 

“I do approve of this though,” the Queen says, stepping forward and running her fingers over Hope’s sleeper. “This is perfect for a princess.” Emma and Regina exchange a look, but neither one of them mentions how the Queen has already begun slipping into the very baby talk that she talks down upon.

 

“And my mother was the one to find it,” Emma tells her proudly. The Queen’s shoulders stiffen, but she otherwise ignores Emma’s comment. Emma laughs.

 

“We’ll give Snow White this one thing,” the Queen says. She reaches to take Hope from Emma, but hesitates. Regina made it clear she has a place in Hope’s life if she wants it, but Emma? She doesn’t know where Emma stands.

 

But Emma pretends not to notice the Queen’s hesitation and passes Hope over to her. The Queen’s sudden bout of nerves deflates the second Hope is back in her arms. She feels instantly calmed and suddenly so complete that she’s not sure how she never noticed the missing Hope shaped piece in her heart.

 

A moment later Ry can be heard stomping loudly down the stairs, Regina huffs but doesn’t berate him when he enters the room. “Mom. Mom. Ray-Ray,” he says with a grin.

 

Emma laughs so loud that Hope jumps slightly in the Queen’s arms and begins to whimper. The Queen holds her tightly to her chest and begins to sway. The Queen glares at Emma who manages to look somewhat ashamed, and then to Ry. “I don’t care if you’re my son, if you ever call me Ray-Ray again I will turn you into a toad.”

 

“Ahh…” Emma looks worried and glances toward Regina to gage whether or not this is something the Queen will actually do.

 

“In this house we don’t turn our children into toads, no matter how obnoxious they’re being,” Regina says firmly.

 

Regina glares at Ry long enough that he finally says, “I’m sorry.” His words are sincere, but are completely cancelled out by what he says next. “I like Reggie better anyway.

 

Emma chokes on a laugh and smacks Ry on the back of the head. “That’s rude, Kid,” she says, but the words come out strained with out the force of fighting back her laughter. Even Regina is biting her lip to keep from smiling.

 

“He gets this from you,” the Queen tells Emma.

 

“Don’t bring me into this,” Emma says, throwing her hands up in surrender. “I’m just trying to make our son be less of an asshole.”

 

“Language,” Regina and the Queen say at the sametime.

 

Ry looks back and forth between Regina and the Queen., studying them closely. “That’s so eerie. I know you’re technically two different people, but when you do that…”

 

“Welcome to Storybrooke, Kid. You have to get used to the wierd shi- stuff. You have to get used to the weird stuff,” Emma finishes in a rush, with a winning smile. 

 

Regina rolls her eyes. “Why do I let you stay here?”

 

“Because you  _ love _ me,” Emma tells her, bumping their shoulders together. Regina shrugs, but doesn’t deny it.

 

“Ughh don’t start being gross again,” Ry says, covering his eyes.

 

Regina rolls her eyes. “I’m going to make some tea,” Regina says, walking backwards out of the room, and taking Emma’s hand. “Emma, will you help me?”

 

“Gross,” Ry repeats, his face twisted up.

 

Regina meets the Queen’s eyes and her intentions are clear, she’s giving the Queen a moment with her children -- and maybe using it to steal a moment alone with Emma, too.

 

The Queen moves back to the couch, and, after a moment, Ry follows her, leaving the middle cushion between them. 

 

Silence falls between them, only broken up by Hope’s babbling. Ry watches the Queen like he wants to say something, but is struggling to get the words out.

 

A moment longer and Ry says, “I heard you were evil back then, but like mom, you’re not evil anymore. Right?”

 

Hope reaches her hand out towards Ry, and the Queen sits her on the cushion between them.

 

The Queen watches Hope, choosing her words carefully. “Yes. I did some things that I’m not proud of. I don’t know how much Regina told you about how there came to be two of us.”

 

“She said she wasn’t happy living with her past always hanging over her, and she thought she could be free of it and start over. But it didn’t work like she wanted,” Ry says, and for as much of a uncouth teenager as he could be, there was an understanding in his eyes that surprises her.

 

“No,” she agrees, “it didn’t work like she had hoped.” She looks down at Hope, watches as she pats at his legs.

 

“What was it like then?”

 

“I did many things that I wasn’t proud of back before Regina and I split, and I reverted back to that once we  _ were _ split. I didn’t care for right and wrong and I hurt a lot of people in the process,” the Queen says and meets Ry’s eyes. “I won’t try to make excuses for the things that I have done because there are no excuses for them.”

 

“But you’ve learned from what you’ve done, right?” Ry asks.

 

“Yes, I have. Regina was brave enough to do what I couldn’t. She gave me some of her compassion, some of her love. She allowed me to see right from wrong.”

 

Ry is silent for a moment, holding his arms out for Hope as she crawls to him. “I wanted to kill her.”

 

Whatever the Queen was expecting him to say, it wasn’t this. Her eyes widen, but she gives nothing else away. “Who did you want to kill?”

 

“Regina. Mom,” he says, and doesn’t meet her eyes, as if he’s expecting to be under fire for his admission.

 

“Why did you want to kill her?” the Queen asks.

 

“She killed my family; she took everything away from me. I wanted to hurt her like she hurt me.” Ry does meet her eyes now, and the Queen can see the pain within them. “I understand now, that my realm was never supposed to have existed, and that she didn’t think any of it was real. But I feel real; I  _ am _ real.”

 

“Oh, Ry,” the Queen says and closes the distance between them and wraps her arms around him, Hope snuggled between them. 

 

“She says she forgives me, and somehow I believe her.” He pulls back enough to look her in the eyes. “But how do I forgive myself? How did you forgive yourself for all the evil things that you did?”

 

While Ry is only a teenager she sees in him the pain she saw in her young self. “It takes time. Neither you nor Regina saw the whole picture, you just reacted on what you knew. What’s important is that you didn’t hurt her. You were able to turn away from the darkness no matter how hard it tried to take a hold of you. That’s not always an easy thing to do when you’re in pain.”

 

Ry digests her words, looking down at Hope as she babbles from his lap. “I never thought I would have a family again.”

 

“Nor did I, but look at us now. I never knew that you and your sister were out there, but now that I do…” the Queen looks at her two youngest children, fighting back the tears that threaten to fill her eyes.

 

“You’re going to stick with us?” Ry asks, hope slipping into his words despite his efforts to keep it hidden.

 

“Yes, I would like to. I would like that very much.”

 

“Good. Mom-ster,” Ry says with a cheeky grin.

 

The Queen snorts, as daintly as only a queen can manage. “I suppose that beats Ray-Ray,” she says.

 

“I only met you today, we have to work up to mom,” Ry teases.

 

“As long as that is the end result I’ll deal with as many awful names as I must,” the Queen allows.

 

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Emma says, walking back into the room. “Let him know you’re okay with it and he’ll never stop.”

 

“I never said I was okay with it, dear. Eventually my patience will run out, and then-” she winks at Ry, “poof! Toad.”

 

“At least turn him into something less slimy if you must,” Regina says, passing a mug of hot tea to the Queen before taking a seat in the chair next to Emma’s.

 

“Maybe something useful,” Emma says, pretending to think about it. “Like a horse. Or a dog! Regina won’t let me get one, but if it’s actually our son she’ll have to let me keep him.”

 

Regina snorts. “Absolutely not. You can both go live with your parents,” Regina says.

 

“And live with my screaming uncle. I think not. At least Hope is well behaved.”

 

“Mama,” Hope says looking up at Ry.

 

“No, Hope, no. Don’t make me take it back. Ry. Say Ry,” he says to her.

 

Hope tilts her head as she looks at him, before babbling some more and lunging off his lap to move back to the Queen.

 

“Good luck with that one, Kid,” Emma says. Regina takes a sip of tea, hiding her amusement behind the mug.

 

Hope crawls onto the Queen’s lap and the Queen wraps her arms around her daughter, pulling her snuggly to her chest.

 

“She really is a good baby,” the Queen says.

 

“She’s the best,” Emma says. “Henry cried all the time- or at least according to my memories he did.” She looks to Regina to fill in the blanks.

 

“He cried  _ all _ the time. So much in the beginning that I really thought I wasn’t cut out to be a mother. But one day you learn to figure things out.” She gives Ry a smile before turning her attention to Hope. “This little one is probably the happiest baby I’ve ever met.”

 

The Queen looks down at Hope who is resting comfortably in her arms, her eyes falling closed.

 

“She’s had a long day,” Emma comments. “She does tend to get a bit fussy when she’s tired, so it’s amazing she’s so calm right now.”

 

“It’s because of me,” Ry jokes. “She’s always happier when I’m around.”

 

“We’re all happier when you’re around,” Regina says with so much love that it reverberates through every word. Ry’s cheeks darken, and he looks down to hide his smile.

 

You would never know of their past, of the hatred that Ry once felt toward his mother. Regina has forgiven him for all of his past actions as only a mother can, and Ry has allowed himself to accept that love despite the guilt he still feels.

 

“And we know everyone is happier when I’m around,” Emma interjects, lightening the mood.

 

“That’s funny,” Regina says, “I just get a headache.” Emma frowns at her and flicks her arm.

 

“The more you pretend to be annoyed by me the more I know you love me,” Emma tells her smuggly, her mug held between both hands at she takes a long drink of her tea.

 

“I find it hard to follow your logic, dear,” Regina says with amusement.

 

“Whatever,” Emma says.

 

“That’s what I thought,” Regina replies.

 

“I thought eventually their bickering would stop,” Ry says, leaning closer to the Queen’s side. “But it never does.  _ Never. _ ”

 

Emma pulls the pillow out from behind her back and chucks it at his head. “At least neither of us is an obnoxious teenager.”

 

“Ma!” Ry looks to Regina for backup. 

 

Regina just shrugs. “I do love you, Ry. But for once, your mother does have a point.”

 

Ry lets out an exaggerated sigh and leans back into the couch. “Please tell me you’re going to be the cool mom,” he says to the Queen.

 

The Queen chuckles, the vibrations causing Hope to open her eyes and look up at the Queen. “I’m staying out of this,” she says.

 

The Queen watches the three of them with a smile on her face, her chest feeling unusually warm. They’re a family, the three of them. The  _ four _ of them, the Queen corrects herself when a small hand bumps against her chin. 

 

Hope looks up at her with a wide grin, a single tooth showing. “Mama,” she says before losing herself in baby babble. With a smile and that single word the Queen truly believes that she could be a part of this family, too.

 

“Yes, baby. Yes, I am,” the Queen says, pressing a kiss to Hope’s hair.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Writers and artists spent months creating the fics and art you enjoy - it would mean the world to them if you commented to tell them what you liked! The SQSupernova team is also sponsoring a contest for commenters, and you can find out more [here](http://sqsupernova.tumblr.com/post/177527168129/the-swan-queen-supernova-comments-contest-returns)


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